Easy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
This recipe takes me straight back to my childhood. Carving pumpkins goes hand in hand with roasting pumpkin seeds. Bonus, the aroma from the oven is incredible! If you have never tried it before, I’ve got you covered. This is my favorite method for how to roast pumpkin seeds!
Our family loves pumpkins. Be sure to check out some of our other favorite pumpkin recipes. Making homemade pumpkin puree is fun and easy, which you can use for pumpkin pie, maple pumpkin butter, or pumpkin spice latte.
Tips for Making the Best Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Please don’t throw away those pumpkin seeds! Use our recipe and turn them into a delicious snack! After scooping out your seeds (they will be messy), we need to clean them of all those stringy bits.
Tip 1: Clean your pumpkin seeds. Throw your seeds into a bowl of cold water. Swish the seeds around the bowl, then remove them as they float to the top. They’re mostly clean now, but we have one more chance to clean them up.
Tip 2: Boil in salted water. Next, add the mostly clean seeds to a pot of boiling salted water and simmer for about 5 minutes. This step cleans the seeds even more and seasons them (like adding salt to the boiling water to season pasta).
Tip 3: Pat your seeds dry. Drain and rinse the seeds. Pull away any extra bits of pumpkin left, then dry them as well as you can. The more dry your pumpkin seeds are, the better they will roast in the oven.
Tip 4: Add flavor and roast. Toss the dry seeds with oil (use olive oil, coconut oil, or a nut oil like walnut). Add a sprinkle of your favorite spice blend. I used harissa in the photo, but curry powder, pumpkin spice, or chili powder is also excellent. Spread your seeds into one layer and roast them in a 350°F oven until crisp and browned around the edges.
Tip 5: Try roasting winter squash seeds. Halloween isn’t the only time to roast pumpkin seeds. You can do it throughout fall and winter or swap the pumpkin for other winter squash, such as butternut squash, spaghetti squash, or delicata squash. The method stays the same, although you may find the smaller seeds don’t need as much time in the oven.
